


my love (i can't hide)

by zadderlee



Category: Free!
Genre: 5+1, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Oh Dear, everyone's dumb but they're all pretty so it's fine, quite possibly crack, what even is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 21:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2083743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zadderlee/pseuds/zadderlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We can’t just go in there and say ‘Oh hey guys, we know you’re doing the do, but whatever, stay safe’!” Kou hissed, gesturing frantically at the door while doing her best death glare. Unfortunately for her, it was less frightening and more cute, really. It was actually quite sad, seeing as Rin’s Patented Matsuoka Glare of Doom could practically curdle milk.</p><p>---</p><p>a.k.a. 5 times someone assumed about Haru and Makoto and 1 time they didn't have to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my love (i can't hide)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! So remember when I said I had some stuff written that would 'hopefully be ready soon'? Well, what I meant to say was 'if I make a deal with a witch, they'll be ready soon, but since I probably won't, it'll take about a month for even one of them to be posted'. Pesky typos.
> 
> Anyway, here is just one of the many fics I've started (and, so far, the only one of those I've managed to finish). I hope you like it :)
> 
> Lastly, comments make me grin maniacally and worry everyone in the vicinity, so if you'd like to have a hand in that (who wouldn't, amirite?), please don't hesitate to leave one. 
> 
> [Title taken from 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' by The Beatles because I'm incorrigible.]
> 
> P.S. Thanks for all the love on my other fics. You guys are the best!

i.

Rei knew it wasn't unusual for Makoto to buy a popsicle that split in two – always a lurid blue one that Makoto insisted was lemonade flavoured but was probably more chemicals than anything else – and give the other half to Haru. In fact, it would be more unusual if Makoto bought one for just himself. (If he ever tried that, Rei is sure Haru’s face would be both hilarious and terrifying.)

Rei had, of course, stared at the exchange with wide-eyed wonder the first time he witnessed it – as the four of them had been walking down the street, Makoto had glanced at Haru out of the corner of his eye, darted into a nearby convenience store and returned with a popsicle. He'd split it in half with the ease of a practised action and casually passed Haru his half like he hadn't just used some sort of magical Haru-sense. Rei had turned his disbelieving stare on Nagisa, hoping for him to offer some sort of explanation, but he’d just shrugged, like it happened all the time.

It did, Rei found out, and he had come to accept that, somehow, Makoto always guessed when Haru had a craving for artificial flavours. Haru never refused him, meaning he never guessed wrong, and that had to be some sort of scientific anomaly. He'd even tried calculating the odds of someone being able to do what Makoto did all the time; he ended up ripping the bit of paper he'd been working on into tiny little pieces, giving it up as one of Makoto's strange powers (like getting children to listen to him, or befriending the elderly).

It was just something that Makoto and Haru did, like Makoto forcing Haru through his morning routine, their weekly sleepovers or them walking to and from school together. Just one of the idiosyncrasies they had as life-long friends that was pointless to question. Rei came to know that summer meant twin sets of blue-stained lips and fingers.

And that day was no different. Makoto's Haru-senses had tingled, he'd brought back the popsicle and had given half to Haru, as usual. Even though Rei had come to terms with the weirdness of Makoto and Haru's friendship, it was still fascinating to fall into step just behind them and watch it in action, to see the wordless communication that took place.

Makoto barely even looked at Haru as he gave him his frozen treat – how was it all even possible? Rei was sure he'd never know – which was why he missed what happened next. Rei didn't, and he found himself even more flabbergasted than when he'd first seen the popsicle trick.

Makoto was sucking on his popsicle, making the occasional soft, satisfied sound like he was enjoying it, and Haru was- Haru was _staring_ , riveted, like he couldn't stand to tear his eyes away even for a second. He was just looking, unabashedly, like there would be no consequences for being caught, and Makoto was completely oblivious.

Then Makoto turned his head towards Haru and - _oh_ , Makoto wasn't oblivious _at all_ – smirked, like he'd just discovered a gold nugget in a handful of sand. Rei hastily looked away, his cheeks feeling warm. Had he just seen what he thought he'd seen?

 _Regardless_ , Rei reasoned, sneaking another peak and finding them both looking straight ahead _, if almost-telepathy doesn't even get a raised eyebrow, there's no point mentioning it to Nagisa-kun, at least without photographic evidence._

 

 

ii.

The boys were warming up by the side of the pool, and Kou was taking advantage of the opportunity to ogle to her heart's content. They were her friends, and it wasn't as if anything was ever going to happen (not that she wanted it to). But still, a girl could look.

They really were something, her four dumb boys. 

Apparently other people saw that too, since they had no shortage of admirers. Though, unfortunately for those who were brave enough to confess to any of them, they always refused, albeit as kindly as they could; Haru was deadpan at best (though one had to assume the girls would know that anyway), Rei blushed and stuttered through an apology, Nagisa made even the most distraught ones laugh and Makoto turned away girls that looked more besotted with him than before.

Kou got a little sentimental sometimes, glad that she could say she was friends with such great guys, who were often sweet, sometimes charming and nearly always hopeless. If Makoto and Nagisa hadn't caught her as she left Haru’s house, on that fateful day that felt like it had happened eternities ago, she had no idea what her life would have been like. Probably quieter, probably simpler. But definitely emptier, definitely less exciting.

She’d witnessed and been a part of more drama the past year and a bit than she’d ever thought possible, what with them getting the swim club together, making it all the way to Regionals and, of course, her dumb brother being dumb. And now that things seemed calmer, or at least less intense, she had some time to step back and appreciate all she had gained by just being a part of the swim club. 

She was glad her life wasn’t quiet or simple. She was glad she’d gotten to know the four people in front of her. And if they had bodies like the ones in the sports magazines she’d had a lengthy love affair with, well, that was just a (very, very fortunate) bonus.

Kou was quite confident that all they’d need to get girls was to swan around in their swimsuits and the female population would be putty in their hands. It would be so easy. If they used their impressive musculature for anything other than swimming, that was.

Well, that wasn't quite accurate, she thought, which was even more unfortunate for their various admirers.

She was violently certain that something was going on between Rei and Nagisa – Rei blushed far too often around Nagisa for there not to be, in her expert opinion – and she had her suspicions about the team's resident mom and dad- er, captain and vice-captain.

Her suspicions were fed, as it happened, while watching Haru stretch. It was only because she was looking rather intently at his abs that she'd noticed, but there, just above and disappearing beneath the waistband of his jammers, were a few faint marks. If Kou applied just the right amount of imagination, the marks could very well be fading bruises made from hands gripping his hips. Large hands, judging by the size and spread of them. And, if she wasn't mistaken, there was only one person she knew with hands that big.

Said person clapped his aforementioned hands, telling the others that they'd warmed up for long enough and could Nagisa _please_ stop teasing Rei, they had a lot to get done and not much time to do it.

Haru's head snapped up at Makoto's firm tone, his cheeks going a barely noticeable pink, and Kou fist-pumped internally. Chigusa should never have bet against her; if those idiots weren't together already, they definitely would be soon.

 

 

iii.

It was a Saturday afternoon and they were all cocooned in a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor, unbelievably comfortable and content. Only Rin’s head was visible from under the blue duvet that was tucked around him, his arms beneath it cradling a bowl of popcorn to his chest. Nagisa had eaten most of everyone else’s, but Rin was immune to puppy dog eyes in general (after years of caving in to his sister’s) and was willing to fight for his right to buttery, salty goodness.

They'd started having movie nights together, just the five of them in Haru's living room, and Rin was happy in the bone-deep, honey-sweet kind of way he hadn't been in what felt like far too long.

It was stuff like this he’d missed, back when he was pretending he didn’t care about anything but being the best. The simple stuff, like being able to talk to them about what he missed when he was in Australia, or being able to hang out without feeling like he should be at the pool, trying harder to achieve impossible goals. He owed them, Nagisa, Haru, Makoto and Rei, for showing him how to be in a team again. He’d do almost anything (you had to be careful using the word _anything_ with Nagisa, he knew that from experience) for them, and he hated seeing any of them upset.

Which was why he was frowning at Makoto as he yelped quietly for the fifth time in as many minutes, barely audible over the sound of a chainsaw hacking at helpless teenagers emanating from the TV.

Nagisa had brought a horror movie, to Makoto's loud protestations, and Nagisa had insisted that it was some crappy low-budget foreign film that would be made even less scary because they had to read subtitles.

Rin agreed - the blood was obviously fake, the acting was pretty terrible and he could see when they switched the actor for the stunt man, who had just fallen down the stairs during a drawn-out chase scene. Add that to having to pay attention to subtitles and he was sufficiently amused, though not scared in the slightest, which was what horror movies of that calibre promised.

Makoto didn't agree, seeing as he was hiding behind his hands. Everyone else had their eyes glued to the TV, more out of disgust at the special effects than genuine interest, so Rin was the only one who was witness to Makoto's abject terror. Of course - the guy who could probably defend himself the best from chainsaw-wielding madmen out of all five of them was the one who was most afraid.

Still, Makoto was literally shaking, and Rin didn't like seeing his friend so miserable. He was just about to tell Nagisa to put on something else, preferably something with fluffy kittens or laughing babies to cancel out the spooky stuff, when there was a loud bang on-screen and Makoto yelped again, hiding his face in the nearest neck, which happened to be Haru's.

Rin supposed it wasn't a coincidence when Haru started rubbing Makoto's back soothingly, relaxing the taller boy instantly. Haru's lips quirked up in a rare smile, soft and fond, as he looked down at Makoto, who had practically crawled into his lap.

Getting the feeling he was watching something private, Rin looked away, the beginnings of an exasperated grin on his face. The eye-rolling would start later, when Haru had lost his excuse to be tactile and the pining glances started, but for the moment, he was just glad someone was taking care of Makoto for once, instead of the other way around.

(At least he didn't have to worry about them going after his sister, at any rate.)

 

 

iv.

The table in Haru’s living room had seen a lot over the years: emotional talks, emergency meetings, Important Discussions (the capitalisation called-for by a unanimous vote) and a lot of pizza. For the moment, though, Haru, Makoto, Rei and Nagisa were only doing homework, which made Nagisa long for something – _anything_ – to happen, just to give him a reprieve.

He’d infinitely prefer one of the above events to take place instead (especially the latter), but unfortunately, no one burst through the door in a panic, no one wanted to hold hands and talk about their feelings, and Coach Sasabe didn’t magically arrive, a box filled with saturated fat and joy in hand. Which meant he probably should do some work. He sighed, already dreading it before he’d even put pen to paper.

Nagisa had a Literature essay due in tomorrow, but he was bored and tired and the light was starting to fade outside, so for all intents and purposes, Nagisa was done. He’d just settled his head comfortably on a textbook, hoping to nap for a while before he had to head home, when he was rudely brought out of his sleepy haze by a slap on the back.

Nagisa jerked upright, upending a pile of papers and nearly falling backwards in the process, before Rei caught him, tugging him into a position he deemed acceptable.

“What was that for? I think you just rattled my brain!” Nagisa complained, reaching around to rub at his back theatrically. It hadn't really hurt, but still.

“Good, it needed rattling. You have a whole essay to write, so you have to at least start it before we leave.” Rei pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose while raising his eyebrows, managing to look both condescending and, if Nagisa was being honest, a little sexy.

“But how can I work now, what with the permanent spine damage? I can never finish my essay now, Rei-chan, and it’s all your fault!” Nagisa mock-swooned, falling into Rei’s side and letting out exaggerated whimpers. Rei tried valiantly, but Nagisa saw the smile he was trying to bite down.

“I barely touched you, Nagisa-kun. Violence is a depraved way to get what you want, but since it’s nearly half-past seven and you’ve got two thousand words left to write of your two thousand word essay, I suppose I could try it again if you’re in need of an incentive.”

“All right, Captain Word-Count.” Nagisa saluted, smirking, but did actually start on his essay, and Rei rolled his eyes. Rei was just about to continue writing (he was probably on the conclusion already, the nerd) before he noticed that Haru had put down his pen in favour of his pencil. He was sketching something on his half-finished worksheet, and Rei’s eyebrow twitched. Nagisa relaxed a bit, glad somebody else had caught Rei’s attention.

“Haruka-senpai, you should pick up the pace a bit if you want to make a start on your math worksheet.”

Haru gave him a mildly irritated look, like he was a fly buzzing around his ears, then returned to doodling what looked like a mermaid in a space on his paper. A tired Haru was a cranky Haru, and a cranky Haru was a dangerous Haru. Nagisa only knew three people who were willing to cross him when he was like this, and Rei, due to his weird need to see everyone get their homework done (“Preferably on time,” he often remarked with a sigh), was one of them. The second was Rin – because he liked to live on the edge or something – and the third was-

“Haru,” Makoto scolded softly, “don’t just ignore Rei. You need to finish that worksheet before you start on your math one. Besides, aren't we doing something later?” He raised his eyebrows pointedly, and Haru, shockingly, picked up his pen and got to work. Not just pretending to work, like Nagisa was, writing the odd sentence then trying to look very absorbed in reading through them, but actually working. In five minutes, Haru had finished his worksheet. He and Makoto shared a look for a moment, before Haru nodded, an odd expression on his face, and started the next one.

Nagisa didn’t even want to know what they were ‘doing later’, but he had a feeling it was a much better incentive than Rei’s threats.

 

 

v.

Haru was practically a permanent fixture in the Tachibana household, so seeing him at the breakfast table was hardly a shock. Still, Ran did her best to entertain their guest. She sang her best songs, brought up her most interesting topics of conversation and used her best insults when Ren tried to steal some of her toast.

Judging by the way his mouth twitched, as if his lips were contemplating a smile, she had succeeded. Haru was quiet, but his face was very talkative, if only you knew the right way to listen. She knew her big brother was much better at reading Haru than she was, but she could still get all she needed to know pretty quickly.

Haru's feelings were obvious on his face, written in every line, visible in every expression, no matter how blank it seemed at first glance. If anyone thought Haru was some sort of unsolvable puzzle, they were obviously an idiot. The pieces were mostly in the right order in the first place. A few were upside down, or missing entirely, just to confuse anyone who might try in passing. But otherwise, piecing together Haru was an easy enough task. It just took a little patience, which might have been why her big brother was so special to Haru. He put the pieces together again and again in record time, and how could anyone overlook that?

If Haru was fairly easy to read, big brother was easier still. His heart was vulnerable: not on his sleeve, but already tucked in someone's hands, carefully, as if it were made of glass. Ran had an idea of who that person was.

When her dad looked at her mom, it was like he'd fallen love with her all over again, and it was from that look that Ran learned what love was. Love was being together for years and years and still wanting more, wanting forever or maybe even longer, just to coexist, to breathe the same air. Big brother looked at Haru like that, like he could never get enough time to just drink him in, to memorise the way his eyelashes curled against his cheek, to learn of by heart the shape of his nose, the arch of his cheekbones, the exact colour of his eyes.

It was all a bit mushy and gross, but the good kind of mushy and gross, like wet autumn leaves, or the soup her mom made that looked funny and kind of lumpy but tasted like sunshine.

Ran wanted to find someone - when she was all grown up, taller than Ren (she just had to be, gosh darn it) and able to buy _all the Pocky she wanted_  - who would look at her like that, in the good mushy-gross way, like her mom and dad. Like her big brother and Haru.

Ran told Ren about what she’d noticed after breakfast, after she'd had snatched some of his toast in revenge and they'd finished nearly the whole carton of juice between them. They'd both gone exploring in the back garden, looking for snails or beetles to keep as pets. Ran liked the idea of a pet, but she'd let Ren do the bug-wrangling, since it was his idea and all.

"What else is new, they're always being gross. Unless onii-chan asks Haru-nii to marry him, it’s not even worth talking about," he said, obviously bored with the conversation. "Come look, Ran," he called, waving her over to the patch of grass he was kneeling in, "this beetle has a stripe on it!" 

Ran followed him, disregarding the idea for the moment, because Ren did have a point. They were old news.

 

 

+i.

Kou, Rei and Nagisa had been standing outside the club room door for at least five minutes. They were watching Haru and Makoto though the tiny window in the wood – who were standing very close together and smiling like they had a marvellous secret – while whisper-shouting about what to do next.

“We can’t just go in there and say ‘Oh hey guys, we know you’re doing the do, but whatever, stay safe’!” Kou hissed, gesturing frantically at the door while doing her best death glare. Unfortunately for her, it was less frightening and more cute, really. It was actually quite sad, seeing as Rin’s Patented Matsuoka Glare of Doom could practically curdle milk.

“Firstly, ‘doing the do’? What are we, on a kids TV show? Secondly, why not?” Nagisa whined.

“It’s not socially acceptable, that’s why!” Rei exclaimed, as quietly as his mortification would let him, which was not very, at the same time Kou muttered, “What kind of kids TV show talks about that?”

“Look, guys, this has gotten ridiculous. Why are we even fighting?” Nagisa asked, putting his hands out in front of him, palms up, in a peace-seeking gesture. 

“Because you want to go in there, blurt out something stupid, then leave, without really saying anything at all!” Kou groaned.

“Exactly. You know me so well, Gou-chan!”

“Are we really going to fight about _that_ right now? _Seriously_?”

“Hey, you both should come and see this!” Rei called, waving Nagisa and Kou over. They had drifted away from the window, but Rei was still looking through it, his eyes firmly trained on what was happening inside.  The other two pushed him out of the way, ignoring his noises of protest, and peeped through, just in time to see Makoto kiss Haru, gentle and lingering on his lips, before pulling back and beaming at him.

“All right, that settles it, we’re doing something about this,” Nagisa declared. “They’re all happy and we know they’re all happy, so we should just go tell them we’re happy that they’re happy already!”

“Well, that’s certainly better than what you said before,” Kou admitted, after taking a second to digest that tongue-twister of a sentence.

“Hey, why are we even doing this here? They can probably hear us right now!” Rei threw his arms up, evidently in defeat. “Why didn’t we plan this somewhere else, then go find them when we knew what we were going to tell them?” He was resolutely ignored.

“I say we just go in there now, before this gets any more stupid. I mean, look what we’re doing! We’re arguing in a hallway about whether to tell them we know, when most people in the entire _school_ know. It’s nearly the worst kept secret ever, second only to people knowing about Rei-chan and me.”

“Wait, people know?!” Rei shouted, only to be met by hurried shushing.

“Rei-chan, you kissed me outside the front door of the school yesterday. And the day before that. You know, you were there. Both times.” Nagisa raised an eyebrow at him, forgetting their current dilemma in the wake of trying to give Rei a heart attack. “Our math teacher told me that he thinks we’re a cute couple this morning.”

“You’re distracting, so you can’t blame me fo-” Rei abruptly cut himself off when the door opened to reveal an embarrassed Makoto and an amused-looking Haru.

For a long moment, no one said anything at all, instead stagnating in an awkward silence that was almost unbearable. In fact, the only thing worse than the awkward silence was the thought of anyone _breaking_ the awkward silence.

“So,” Makoto started, but his sentence hung in the air, unfinished. He coughed, looking away as if not being able to see them would allow him to escape their current situation.

“So,” Kou said, but had similar trouble finding the right words.  

“So,” Nagisa added, just to feel included.

“Um…” Rei looked like he was about to spontaneously combust, so Makoto decided to get it all over with.

“So,” Makoto said, and went on before it could start over again, “we kind of heard most of that.” He shuffled his feet, sheepish.

“You guys are really bad at whispering.” Haru was smirking, small enough to almost be unnoticeable, but there just the same; apparently, he was enjoying this. 

“I said we should have gone somewhere else!” Rei said under his breath, elbowing Nagisa in the side, who promptly elbowed him back.

“Yes, but not in time to be actually helpful,” Nagisa groused. He saw angry making-out in their future – at least something good would come of this.

“Is there any chance we can all forget this ever happened?” Kou sighed, rubbing her forehead like she felt a headache coming on. “All we were going to say, other than the fact that we knew, was that we’re happy for you guys. And, now that I just did, I’d very much like to leave.”

“Um, thanks?” Makoto said it like a question, and Kou rolled her eyes. “And we’re happy for you guys too,” he continued, smiling at Nagisa, who nodded, grinning, and at Rei, who had gone bright red. Kou grumbled lowly, the only audible words being “brother” and “hilarious” and “traumatised”, before turning on her heel to go, tugging Rei and Nagisa behind her.

“Stay safe!” Rei blurted out before they turned the corner, and Nagisa facepalmed, saying something that sounded suspiciously like  _was that really all you got out of that talk?_

When they’d disappeared from sight, it took approximately five seconds before Makoto started laughing. Haru's smirk grew a little, his eyes shining dangerously.

“Well, that could have gone better, I think,” Makoto said, grinning.

“Considering our friends, no, not really. I was actually expecting worse.” 

“What, singing? Choreographed dance routines?”

“To start with, yes. But only in the first act,” Haru replied, smiling at him like it wasn’t incredible to be given one of those so easily, and Makoto’s answering laugh echoed through the corridors.

**Author's Note:**

> God, they're so dumb. Oh, it's contagious. Now you all have the dumb. Whoops.


End file.
